To avoid E.coli infection, you need to follow good hygiene - wash your hands and thoroughly wash the fruits and vegetables you eat. You should also avoid drinking water from an unreliable source, as these bacteria may be present in the water.
How to avoid contaminationwith E.coli ? - You should thoroughly wash all vegetables under running water, and preferably eat them when cooked - advises Dr. Paweł Grzesiowski from the Institute of Infection Prevention. The infection is transmitted through fresh vegetables, fruit, as well as raw milk, cheese made of unpasteurized milk, contaminated water, close contact with an infected person (in a home or kindergarten environment), as a result of hygienic negligence, as well as contact with infected animals.
According to an expertDr. Leszek Marek Szcześniak, internistHow to prevent Escherichia coli poisoning?
The easiest way to prevent it is by observing the rules of hygiene, i.e. washing your hands often, because it is largely a disease of dirty hands. We transfer bacteria mainly through our hands, but infection through contact with a sick person is also possible. You can get infected in any situation in which there was a possible contact with the fecal bacteria of the infected organism. And there are plenty of such situations. You can get sick by eating unwashed vegetables and fruit that were previously, for example, watered with liquid manure, by drinking unboiled water from an unreliable source, because these bacteria can also be present in the water. Also, by touching previously contaminated items and consuming contaminated products.
To reduce the risk of E.coli infection:
1. Keep clean - wash your hands before handling food and during its preparation (as well as after leaving the toilet and necessarily before eating). Clean and disinfect all surfaces and equipment used in food preparation. Protect your kitchen and food from insects and other animals.
2. Separate raw from cooked food - Separate raw meat, poultry, seafood from other food, and store food in separate containers to prevent raw food from coming into contact with already cooked food. Use separate equipment and items such as knives and cutting boards to prepare raw food.
E.coli dies after 20 minutes of heating at 60 ° C. It is also sensitive to all known agentsdisinfecting. However, in an environment with lower temperature and higher humidity, it may persist for months. In faeces at 0 ° C, it may remain viable for over a year.
3. Cook thoroughly - especially meat, poultry, eggs and seafood. Bring food such as soup to the boil to make sure that it is at a temperature of 70 ° C. As for meat and poultry, you need to make sure that the juices inside these products are pure - not pink. Also reheat the reheated food to a temperature above 70 ° C before consumption.
4. Keep food at the right temperature - do not leave cooked food at room temperature for more than two hours, and store all cooked and perishable foods in the refrigerator (preferably below 5 ° C. However, do not store food for too long, even if you keep it) Also, do not defrost frozen food at room temperature (immerse the food in warm water or use heating devices).
5. Use safe water and food - choose only fresh and he althy food for consumption, choose food that has been prepared in a way that is safe, e.g. pasteurized milk, wash fruits and vegetables, especially if you eat them raw, do not eat food that has lost already the use-by date.
Source: Five steps to safe food, County Sanitary Inspector in Krakow
In addition, avoid fast food sold straight from the street, do not drink from a shared bottle, do not eat from a shared plate, and be especially careful in countries where dirty hands diseases are numerous. Even here ice should be made of bottled water.
ImportantTap water contaminated with E.coli - what to do?
If you find that your tap water is contaminated with E. coli, do not use it for food or personal hygiene. You should not wash dishes, fruit, vegetables, hands or teeth in such water, or even take a bath. Such water is for sanitary purposes only (only for use in toilets).